Jalandhar witnessed long queues outside an Indane gas agency near Ghas Mandi in the West constituency on the occasion of Kanjak Pujan as residents struggled to procure LPG cylinders despite official assurances of adequate supply.
On the final day of Navratri when many households perform Kanjak Pujan several families said they were left inconvenienced due to the unavailability of cooking gas and people were seen standing in lines with their passbooks hoping to secure a cylinder.
One resident said he had been trying to book a cylinder through SMS for days without success even after visiting the agency in person he mentions his booking could not be processed. With rituals to perform at home the family had to arrange an electric induction cooktop as a temporary solution while he continued to wait in line.
Another customer Harbans Singh said he had booked his cylinder on March 18 and was expecting delivery by March 23, however the cylinder was not delivered and he claimed to have been visiting the agency for the past two to three days standing in queues each time but returning empty-handed. On Thursday he once again joined the line still without clarity on when he would receive his cylinder.
Responding to the situation an agency employee Nancy urged people not to panic and stated that gas supply is ongoing and there is no shortage however, she acknowledged delays in the booking system and according to her customers with double connections are currently facing a waiting period of around 35 days while those with single connections may have to wait about 25 days. For beneficiaries under the Ujjwala scheme the waiting period has extended up to 45 days.
She attributed the issue to the ongoing financial year closing, which has led to technical glitches and slow server response affecting the booking process and she also advised people to avoid crowding at agencies assuring that the situation would stabilise soon and cylinders would be made available to all consumers.
